


The Cryptids of Gravity Bay

by orphan_account



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aromantic Bill Cipher, Asexual Bill Cipher, Asexual Dipper Pines, Gen, I swear, I'm Bad At Tagging, Looking at these tags I realise it might seem like that's all this fic is about, M/M, Magic, Maybe some merpeople lore who know, Merman Bill Cipher, Queerplatonic Relationships, its not, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-06 10:57:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8747836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dipper watched the water carefully, searching for movement. The shine of grey-ish scales made itself known. There was a blur of movement below and the fish disappeared. What just happened? He focused intently on the water, sure he had seen something. There! A flash of brilliant golden scales, barely visible so close to the sea floor.From what he could make out, it had a vague humanoid shape and.. a tail. Surely it was a supernatural creature.[Discontinued. Sorry.]





	1. Chapter 1

Dipper’s favourite thing about Gravity Bay was the view of the sunset from the coastline. He loved the whole experience-the familiar scent of the ocean relaxing him as he takes in the slow change of light and colour, observing the details of the masterpiece spread out before him. The golden-yellow light of the sun reflecting off of the tumbling ocean waves. The pale orange light enveloping the horizon, pastel pinks dying white clouds on the opposite end of the darkening sky. It was a breathtaking sight.

It was also a bit lonely. Unlike Dipper, Mabel didn’t have the patience to sit on the warm beach sand and watch the sun disappear below the horizon, didn’t appreciate the beauty of the simple occurrence with the reverence Dipper did. Because of this, for the few days the twins had been in Gravity Bay, Dipper had sat alone every night, watching the sunset in silence.

Gravity Bay was a sleepy little port town inhabited by a small but tightly-knit community of friendly people. Dipper and Mabel had been sent there for the summer to live with their two great uncles, both quickly given the title of ‘Grunkle’. Stanley and Stanford Pines, or Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford, had lived in Gravity Bay for the past three decades. Their relationship was somewhat strained and Dipper had heard that some sort of incident had taken place in their youth which caused them to grow apart. Dipper could only hope nothing like that would ever happen between him and Mabel.

Before him, waves slid smoothly and quietly up and down the shore. The soft sounds lulled him into a calm state, eyes absently following the movement of the ocean waves as he lost himself in his thoughts.

“Dipper!” Mabel’s loud call broke Dipper's attention away from his musings and he turned to see his twin, watching her make her way to where he was seated.

“Oh, hey Mabel. What are you doing here?” Dipper asked, curious. Usually, after the sun had disappeared for the night, Dipper would stand, collect whatever he had brought with him to entertain himself (usually a book) and return to the Mystery Shack before Mabel or his Grunkles started worrying.

Mabel smiled cheerily, glitter sparkling in her hair (Dipper decided he didn’t want to know). More quietly, she told him, “Grunkle Stan wanted me to make sure you didn’t stay out here too long. It’s an early night for us! We’re going fishing in the morning tomorrow, remember?”

“Alright, gimme a sec.”

Dipper grabbed his book, placing it into his vest’s inner pocket before standing and dusting off the sand stuck to his skin and clothes. The Stans (as he had taken to referring to his Grunkles as) wouldn’t be happy if he brought even more sand into the Shack. Together, he and Mabel walked slowly back to the Shack, Mabel chattering all the way. Mabel told Dipper about her day and Dipper nodded along, asking questions where appropriate.

When they arrived back at the Shack, Stan told them that they’d be going to Greasy’s for dinner. Dipper suspected it was just because Stan was too lazy to cook, but didn’t voice his thoughts. Dipper had asked Ford if he would be going to the diner with them, the question quickly answered to the negative before Ford returned to his lab.

Ever the responsible caretaker, Stan allowed his grandniece and nephew to order whatever they wanted for dinner (assuming it wasn’t too expensive, of course). Taking advantage of this, the twins ordered pancakes and had a syrup race with the bottles provided. When Mabel won, she let out a yell of victory, proclaiming herself to be the 'Alpha Twin'. Dipper grumbled about the loss, smiling nonetheless. Stan had only smiled fondly at their antics before returning his attention to his food. The remainder of the meal was interspersed with conversation and laughter.

…

The harsh sunlight was beginning to give Dipper a headache. It shone brightly above him, reflecting off the water into his eyes, forcing him to squint. Beside him, Mabel leant precariously over the edge of the boat, eyes wide with unrelenting excitement as she watched the translucent water for signs of life. On the other side of the boat sat Stan, fishing pole in hand. Nothing much had happened so far; they’d dragged the rickety old boat out of storage, put on their personalised fishing hats (“Aww, Grunkle Stan you _do_ care!”) and sat for twenty minutes in near-silence, broken by the occasional bored sigh or caw of an overhead seagull.

The whole 'silence' thing was a true feat for Mabel, who was usually unable to stay still and quiet for even a minute. Only after being promised a tube of glitter toothpaste (again, Dipper didn't want to know) had Mabel agreed to sitting in silence. They had a fishing pole each and were thus far unsuccessful in catching any fish. They were also suffering a bit with the heat. It wasn't exceptionally hot for the time of year, but out in the direct sunlight the trio were feeling the effects of the high temperature.

Dipper's arms were getting sore, too, and he hadn’t even seen any fish yet (Okay, so maybe it wasn't that hard for his arms to grow tired, they _were_ pretty noodle-y). What was up with the lack of fish? He watched the water carefully, searching for movement. The shine of grey scales made itself known. One of the first fish he’d seen. There was a blur of movement below and the fish disappeared. What just happened? He focused intently on the water, sure he had seen something.

There! A flash of brilliant golden scales, barely visible so close to the sea floor. A large figure was sitting there, features unclear. To Dipper, it just appeared to be a large blur with vague colours, but he was sure it had moved. He wondered what it could be. From what he could make out, it had a vague humanoid shape and.. a tail. Surely it was a supernatural creature.

Oh no, was it a Siren? If that was the case, they were all in danger. Sirens were nasty, ruthless creatures. According to his Grunkle Ford, they were the implicitly violent, magical cousins of mermaids. The existence of such beings was known to few, but even those who were unaware of their legitimacy were afraid of them.

Dipper watched the figure carefully, ready to do something to protect Mabel if necessary- exactly what he could do, he wasn't sure, but he could figure something out. After minutes of waiting, it moved once more and with another, (slightly dulled) flash of gold, the figure was gone. It didn’t return. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or even more concerned.

Eventually, Dipper allowed himself to relax, the perceived threat gone. If it wasn't coming back, they were safe. Probably.

The brunet was the first of the Pines to catch a fish, nine minutes after the figure had disappeared- he had counted. The fish must have stayed away due to the presence of a predator, he thought. After that, Mabel caught her first fish with a whoop of victory, followed by Grunkle Stan minutes later, muttering something about beginners luck and awkwardly praising the twins on their catches.

When the sun was high in the sky and their bait was running low, they pulled their lines from the water and started heading back to shore. As they began moving, Dipper cast one last look out to the water, only to catch a glimpse the tip of a large, golden tail briefly flicking up over the surface of the water before disappearing once more.

As they moved further away, Dipper eyed the water warily, silently contemplating what he had seen.


	2. Chapter 2

Dipper had to give Mabel credit for at least hearing him out. He knew she had to have grown tired of constantly being on the receiving end of his rants and spiels about the supernatural. A person can only take so many discussions about ghost activity in old mansions versus houses before they snapped, after all.

Knowing this, Dipper was very appreciative that his sister had the patience left to humour him. She laid on her bed, amusedly watching her brother pace around the room as he spoke about sirens and various other aquatic cryptids.

“Hey Dip?” Mabel interrupted his lecture and looked up at him innocently.

“What’s up Mabes?” Dipper knows better than to ask if she’s confused about anything; he knew she was.

“Well~," She drew out the word, smiling up at her twin, "I just thought that Grunkle Ford would probably be a better person to talk to about this kinda stuff?”

Dipper’s movement had slowed at Mabel’s interruption, but now he froze. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Why go to his sister, who wouldn’t know any more about the supernatural than he did, when he could go to his Grunkle who’d been studying such things for longer than he’d been alive? He supposed he was hesitant to do so as he was a bit intimidated by the man, having never met him prior to that summer. But Grunkle Ford was just that- his great uncle. He’d been wanting to spend more time with Ford anyway, and it would be a great opportunity to bond over shared interests.

Dipper smiled, eyes alight with excitement. “You’re right! Thanks Mabel!” He said, turning on his heels and practically sprinting to the door to their shared room. Just as he was leaving the attic he heard Mabel’s call of “You’re welcome bro-bro!” come from the half-open door behind him.

Now Dipper was excited. He was sure Grunkle Ford would have some idea about what he saw, and if he didn’t they could even investigate it together! Maybe Ford would even let him take a look at his research journals? Dipper was just itching to get his hands on them- to feel the texture of worn leather and rough pages beneath his fingertips, to spend hours pouring over pages upon pages of information!

While quickly but carefully moving down the stairs the boy paused, suddenly doubtful. What if he was just bothering his Grunkle? He was such an intelligent man- surely Dipper, a mere child would be… No, he wouldn’t let himself think like that! Grunkle Ford, while rather reserved and often busy in his not-so-secret lab under the Shack, was a kind man. He shook his head, as if the action would help rid himself of the negative thoughts.

Dipper hopped down to the floor from the second to last step, avoiding the final squeaky stair as usual. He walked into the living room, walking quickly past the television to avoid disturbing Stan’s viewing of.. Baby Fights. Why a show like that existed, he had no idea. Apparently, you could make money off of anything these days.

He stopped again, not knowing exactly where to look for Ford. This, however, had an easy fix. Turning around, he spoke to his Grunkle.

“Hey Grunkle Stan?”

Despite groaning at the interruption, Stan turned (some of) his attention to Dipper. “Whaddaya want, squirt?”

“Do you know where Grunkle Ford is?” Dipper asked, unfazed by the man’s grouchiness.

If Stan was bothered by the question about his brother, he didn’t show it. Instead, he grumbled a quick "Lab," and turned his attention back to Baby Fights, where one baby was gumming at the other’s leg. Dipper gave a quick ‘thank you’ before he left the room to go find his other great uncle.

The boy came to a stop once more in the kitchen when he saw Ford was, for once, actually outside of his lab. When Ford noticed his great nephew's presence he looked over at him and gave a small smile of acknowledgment before returning to making himself what looked to be a sandwich.

Dipper approached the man and mentally went over what he would tell him. "Grunkle Ford, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course Dipper, what is it?"

Here goes nothing. "Do you have much experience with aquatic based cryptids?"

Ford's dark eyes widened slightly. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. A moment passed, Dipper looking his Grunkle straight in the eye. Then, Ford smiled. If Dipper didn't know any better, he'd say there was a light in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"I certainly have," Ford looked pretty enthusiastic as he said this. "Why do you ask?"

"Well you see.." Dipper explained what he had seen on the boat, explaining in (probably unnecessary) detail what had happened and things he'd observed. As he spoke, Ford nodded along. Dipper was pleasantly surprised that his Grunkle was taking him seriously- not that he doubted him, of course. That was more of a personal thing..

"So what do you think? Could it have been a siren?" Dipper asked when he had finished explaining.

Ford frowned in thought. "I don't think so. At the very least, it is highly unlikely. Sirens tend to migrate to the Indian Ocean this time of year, seeking its warmer waters."

Some part of Dipper relaxed. That was.. pretty relieving. "Ah, okay, that makes sense," he said with a serious nod. "What do you think it is, then?"

"Probably just a mer-person, nothing to worry about unless they were to be provoked, in which case they wouldn't be able to do much damage," Ford explained. "Merfolk can be tricky little things, but they were quite fascinating to research. Their culture and customs are very interesting."

Dipper smiled up at his Grunkle fondly and chose to ask a question before the man regurgitated all of his knowledge on merfolk. "Then, everything should be fine if it isn't a siren?"

"Yes, my boy. You have nothing to worry about. If you ever come face to face with one, you may even be able to converse with them. All I ask is that you don't reveal too much about yourself and-" He paused, face becoming stern. "Whatever you do, stay out of the water," Ford's face relaxed into a smile, "and don't do anything silly."

Dipper nodded once more. "I can do that."

...

Dipper felt a whole lot better after talking to his Grunkle. The two had conversed for a while, posing theories about why the merperson had been hanging around so close by. Ford also shared some information about merfolk, such as their methods of communicating and how they breath. Dipper found he really liked talking to Ford, but eventually the conversation had come to an end. Ford was a busy man after all, and as he said, his lunch wouldn't eat itself!

After Ford left, Dipper remembered that he hadn't eaten anything for lunch yet and neither had Mabel. He quickly made himself a PB & J sandwich for himself and a jelly sandwich for Mabel, which he sprinkled with edible glitter just to please the girl.

Dipper returned to his room, both hands occupied by plates, to find Mabel updating her summer scrapbook. She was sticky-taping pictures from the day's fishing trip the open page (when did she find the time to develop them?) and humming quietly under her breath. She looked up when her twin entered the room and flashed a bright, grateful smile at him upon noticing the food he held.

"Thanks broseph! You didn't have to," She said.

"It's no problem."

And it wasn't. He loved his sister, and he would always take care of her- even with small things like making her food.

He turned around sat down on his bed, smiling at his sisters pleased gasp when she noticed the glitter on her food. "My favourite! Thanks Dip-Dop!"

He laughed a little, nibbling on his sandwich. "Are you ever going to run out of nicknames for me?"

Mabel took a moment to answer, pretending to think hard about her response. "Nope," she said cheerily before taking a large bite out of her sandwich.

"Ew Mabel, that's gross."

"You're gross!" Her response was playful, muffled by the food in her mouth.

Dipper rolled his eyes in a good natured manner before returning his attention to his food. When he was finished eating, he opened a book and quickly lost himself in his reading.

...

Dipper's attention was pulled away from his book when he noticed the light outside beginning to change. He would have to get to the beach soon if he wanted to catch the sunset. He wasn't surprised so much time had passed, it was a good novel. Marking his place, he closed the book and rose from the bed. As an afterthought, he took the now empty plates from earlier to take to the kitchen before he leaves for the beach.

After making his way downstairs, he placed them in the kitchen sink. Book in hand, he called a simple, "Be back later!" to Stan and made for his usual spot.

The sun was only just above horizon by the time Dipper sat himself down in the sand. Today the sky was alight with glowing shades of orange, the horizon licked with a vibrant pinkish-red hue. The next few minutes were spent in silence as the boy observed the subtle changes around him as the sun inched towards the ocean.

Just as the sun was vanishing from sight, a glint of light came from the water. Dipper's eyes snapped down, trying to find its source. What had that been?

His question was quickly answered as his eyes locked onto a somewhat familiar shape in the water. It was silhouetted by the sunset, but in the shallow water he was able to make out most details of the creature. Its tail was what stood out the most- a glittering golden colour, the scales seemed to glow in the water. _Bioluminescent_ , his mind supplied as he tore his eyes from the beautiful appendage to observe the rest of its body.

The tail met narrow hips, which led up to a lean torso. So, a merperson. Merman? He'd have to ask.

It (Or maybe it was a he? Did merpeople even have concepts of gender? Grunkle Ford hadn't spoken about that, but he'd used gender neutral pronouns, so maybe those were best..) had what appeared to be gills on either side of its neck and another set above its waist. Short, blond hair floated over their eyes. With a start, Dipper noticed those eyes were staring at him with a burning intensity.

Their eyes locked, and the creature's thin lips stretched into a pointy-toothed grin that served as a reminder to Dipper- he was looking at a predator.

Instinctively, Dipper took a step back from the water. Then, the merperson _winked_ , moving even closer to him. Before Dipper could think to question the actions, they suddenly turned around and beat their tail, sending water flying. Dipper could only blink as icy water soaked him to the bone.

"Wha- h-hey!" Dipper spluttered indignantly.

Laughter echoing through the air, the merperson simply ducked under the surface and swam away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Americans say 'jelly' instead of jam.. right?   
> Sorry this took so long to get out!

**Author's Note:**

> I had big plans for this, but between a lot of family stuff going on, high school kicking my butt and my own mental health issues, I've been unable to write. I've also fallen out of shipping billdip, and even though this fic was never going to portray a romantic relationship, the idea of trying to continue to write it makes me uncomfortable.   
> Honestly, I don't really want to be associated with billdip anymore, so I'm going to orphan this, too. Sorry.


End file.
